On Christmas day, Robert Eggers’ “Nosferatu” will be released in theaters. Eggers’ movie is inspired by F. W. Murnau’s 1922 silent horror film “Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror” and Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel “Dracula”. Development started in 2015 when Eggers planned for “Nosferatu” to be his second film. However, production stopped when Eggers expressed that he felt he was not at a place in his career to release such an important remake.  “It feels ugly and blasphemous and egomaniacal and disgusting for a filmmaker in my place to do ‘Nosferatu’ next,” Eggers said according to IndieWire.

The original “Nosferatu” from 1922 is regarded as one of the oldest horror films that gave way to the horror genre. The silent film directed by F. W. Murnau starred Max Schreck as Count Orlok, who later served in the German trenches of World War One. Greta Schröder plays Ellen Hutter, who is hunted by and ultimately sacrifices herself to the Count. The film is an unofficial and unauthorized version of Dracula, having several names replaced: Count Dracula turned into Count Orlok, Jonathan Harker into Thomas Hutter, etc. Since “Nosferatu” was an unauthorized version of Bram Stoker’s “Dracula”, it was court-ordered that all copies of “Nosferatu” would be destroyed, however, several copies were saved.

Eggers’ fresh version of “Nosferatu” will star Bill Skarsgård as the ancient vampire, Count Orlok, who becomes obsessed with a young woman named Ellen Hutter, played by Lily-Rose Depp.  The film already casts an uneasy energy onto the screen, but the 5,000 live rats used in the movie help amplify the eeriness. The film was shot mainly in Romania and Czechia, where a gothic 13th-century castle was used. 

 Other cast members include Willem Dafoe, Emma Corrin, Nicholas Hoult, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ralph Ineson, and Simon McBurney. Certain scenes in the movie needed Depp to contort her body in nearly inhuman ways, which required a Butoh dance teacher’s guidance. According to an interview with Deadline, Depp said: “I know Rob has been dreaming of making this movie for so long, so, on a human level, not even actor to director, just person to person, it’s so nice to see his dream come true.” As the film's release approaches, “Nosferatu” is poised to captivate audiences and solidify its place as a modern horror classic.